Social Affairs Reporter

AN AMBITIOUS pledge to halve homelessness by 2020, launched by the Rudd government, is failing to reach its target.

The rate of homelessness has risen by 15,000 people over five years, an 8 per cent increase between 2006-11, despite public funding of $1.1 billion as part of a federal government promise to slash homelessness.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on Monday showed that there were 105,237 homeless people on census night last year, with 60 per cent of those under the age of 35.

Homelessness rose by 20 per cent or more in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.

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The increase was due to people sleeping in overcrowded accommodation, who accounted for 39 per cent, compared with rough sleepers who accounted for 6 per cent.

Groups that support the homeless said the figures highlight the need for the federal and state governments to renew their commitment to the $1.1 billion National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness.

Funding for the agreement winds up in June next year. But the respective state ministers are due to meet with federal Minister for Housing Brendan O'Connor on Friday to discuss the future of the agreement, which provides support to 180 services nationally.

Mr O'Connor said the government remained committed to halving homelessness by 2020.

James Toomey, executive leader of community services at Mission Australia, said meeting the goal would be a challenge without support under the national partnership. ''Now is not the time to take to foot off the gas in terms of meeting that goal,'' he said.

Michael Perusco, chief executive officer of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, said the rise in overcrowding was due to lack of affordable housing. ''These figures show the true extent of the housing crisis and how hard it is for people to find safe and affordable accommodation,'' he said.

Tony Nicholson, chairman of the Prime Minister's Council on Homelessness and CEO of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, called for a new national affordable housing agreement to reduce overcrowding.

''We have seen reductions in the number of rough sleepers and an increase in people using services for the homeless. But that traction will be lost unless we address the chronic shortage of affordable housing,'' he said.

Jenny Smith, chief executive of the Council to Homeless Persons (Victoria), said she was disappointed to see the figure rise but said they would have been worse without the public funding investment. ''Given the GFC and the cost of housing perhaps the efforts that have been made have kept that increase lower than it otherwise would have been,'' she said.